A:
There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable
and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You
can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green
Guru's secret identity.

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Thursday - July 25, 2013

QUESTION:

My trumpet vine is dropping its buds before flowering. This happened last year as well. Do you know what is causing this and what I can do to prevent it?

ANSWER:

Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper or trumpet vine) is generally as a tough, vigorous (sometimes too aggressive) vine that can handle conditions from full sun to shade and having a cold tolerance down to zone 4 (-30 F.)When your vine starts to drop its buds it is signaling that it is under some form of stress – too wet, too dry, too windy. While your vine can tolerate quite a bit of moisture fluctuations, dropping buds do signal that it isn’t happy with some aspect of the environment. Trumpet vine grows best in average soils with regular moisture in full sun. It needs a good amount of sun to flower well. Excessive winds, poor soil drainage, water-logged soils, dense shade and excessive soil drying can all cause stress on the plant and bud drop. Start your investigation with the soil and vine roots to see if you can determine what is causing your vine to drop its buds.

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